


The Vortessence Around Us

by TimeyWimeyBritishGuy



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Alien Romance, Alien/Human Relationships, Angst, Human/Monster Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:09:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeyWimeyBritishGuy/pseuds/TimeyWimeyBritishGuy
Summary: Kian Malone is alone, he's lost everyone he's ever loved in the seven hour war. Including his Husband. It's been ten years since then and he still can't get over him, can a kind Vortigaunt give him a reason to live again?
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Vortigaunt
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	The Vortessence Around Us

**Author's Note:**

> Its actually mad how after over 20 years there's no Vortigaunt Human romance stuff on here, guess ya boy has come back from the dead to solve that. Well i hope maybe this is good who knows, i wrote this at like 3am so take it or leave it folks.

The camp was growing silent, peacefully so. The only sounds he could hear was the crackling of the dying fire and a some of the vortigaunt’s chatting with each other. Kian sometimes wondered what they talked about so much, he’d often fallen asleep with the soft noises them conversing with each other. It was soothing in a way.

Kian felt a chill of the nights air hit his face causing him to shiver slightly, it wasn’t too bad that he needed his coat but it was a sign that winter was on it’s way. He wondered if they would survive another winter out here, last year was the worst they had so far. Frankie had delivered her baby with no complications, but it got sick, poor thing didn’t survive till spring.

Sometimes he wondered if all of this was still worth it, the constant survival out in the middle of nowhere. Just waiting day after day until the inevitability of being attacked by headcrabs or found by the combine, the world had gone to shit. Maybe they were free but was that any better? They were barely surviving out here and he’d lost so many people.

Most of his friends had died during the first few hours of the war, weather it be from the combine or whatever manner of hell had decided to teleport in that day. His parents were in London at the time, he imagined they died as soon as they started attacking all the major city’s, he had no idea what happened to his husband, it was the last he saw of him when he left for work that day.

He wondered if Jake was still out there somewhere, fighting with some resistance group or just surviving like him. Sometimes he hoped Jake died just so he didn’t have to deal with the terror’s of the invasion. Kian looked up at the clear night sky; the moon shun bright, illuminating the land around him somewhat.

Was Jake staring up at the same sky as him? He wouldn’t miss an opportunity on a clear night like this.

_“look those two bright lights to the right of the moon! That’s the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, they haven’t come this close in four hundred years. Breath-taking isn’t it.”_

_“Sure is, hey you think when all the planets align something cool would happen?”_

_“Hmm, like what?_

_“I dunno like, we’d get superpowers or cats will get apposable thumbs”_

_“Ugh I hope not, then the astrologists wouldn’t shut up about how they were right the whole time. Besides it wont happen for another ten thousand years!”_

_“That’s okay I can wait, I’ve always wanted to see how powerful cats can get”_

_“you’re so weird”_

_“Yeah but you love me”_

Kian smiled at the memory, twisting the wedding ring around his finger. All he had now were memories, memories of everyone he’d ever loved.

He looked down at the Pistol in his hand, feeling the worn grip as he tightened his hand around it. Maybe he could be with them again someday, Kian never believed in in sort of afterlife but anything would be better than life he was living. He could do it, one quick pull of the trigger and it would be over. He’d be able to see Kian again, his friends maybe his mum and dad too.

It would be so easy, it’s not like anyone would really miss him. Sure Frankie and Sam would be upset for a while but the rest, he rarely talked to them anyway. Besides they could probably be better off without one other mouth to feed.

“It’s a beautiful night is it not” A voice said, startling him out of his thoughts, he wiped around to see Grey standing behind him

“Huh? What?” He said, not really taking in what he just said. Still zoned out a little with his own thoughts.

“The night” The Vortigaunt said, walking a little closer “It brings upon a serene beauty does it not?”

Kian looked back up at the stars “Yeah, I guess it does”.

Grey moved closer, in their hands they held to cups of steaming something. Tea maybe, that’s what the Vorts like to call the brew they made out of headcrabs. He wasn’t a huge fan but anything’s better than stale hot water.

“May I sit with you?”

“Oh um yeah sure” Kian said, patting the floor beside him. He wasn’t always sure how to react to the vorts; they had this strange mystery about them like they just figured out everything about you just by looking at you.

“Are you feeling well?” Grey asked as they passed the cup to him, headcrab tea it was. “You should be sleeping”

“Yeah I know” He sighed, taking a sip “Don’t think I will tonight”

“Your mind wanders” Grey said “A too common human trait”

Kian snorted “Yeah, sometimes I wish it would stop”

Grey made a small grunt as they fell into a comfortable silence, he felt a little safer with Grey here. Looking at the Vortigaunt again he noticed they were wearing a cloak over them, usually the vorts don’t bother with clothes but maybe they were feeling adventurous or maybe they felt a little chilly too.

“Would you like to share?” Grey asked, facing him. “as I understand, humans usually feel better after confessing their thoughts.”

Kian gave a small smile, Grey had always been so curious about him ever since they met. He remembered when they first saw him they seemed so surprised a human could have different coloured eyes, it freaked him out how close they would get just to see get a better view. _Through the vortessence we have seen much but seeing through this one is a gift._

Kian still had no idea what that meant; at first he thought the vorts were just eccentric like that, they were aliens after all. Over time though he realised they had some kind of telepathic communication that linked them, he even asked Grey if that was the case but got some strange reply about the Vortessence being within all of us, he just settled with weird telepaths in the end.

“It’s okay” Kian said, putting down the pistol to hold the warm cup with both hands “You don’t have to listen to my issues”

“Maybe but The Malone has not yet socialised with the other humans” Grey said, tilting their head “The bond has not yet been attached… it is worrying”

“Don’t worry” Kian said, looking down. “I’m better of alone anyway”

Kian felt Grey place their large hand over his knee, staring down at it he realised there was a large scar across it. “That is not true, you experience many emotions. Anger, Sadness, Melancholy, pain…”

“That one of your superpowers too?”

“We do not need our Vortessence to see this” Grey said “We relate… but on another level”

“You do?” he asked softly, not trusting his voice to speak any louder

“This one was hatched into enslavement, it is all some of us ever knew” Grey said, closing the large eye that stared him down “Your lives were torn away from you, all you knew was gone in an instant. An yet through the countless impossible odds, _We Survived.”_

“Yeah… but was it worth it” He said, so quietly that he didn’t think Grey would hear him but he could feel that large red eye staring right at him “After everything that’s happened, after everyone that’s died. Everyone I’ve lost…”

Grey makes a strange noise that causes him to look up at them, all their eyes were now closed and the third arm on their chest glowed an almost translucent blue “What are yo-“

“The connection you have with your kin, it is beautiful. You do not see it but it is always there, it tethers you to your mortal coil” Grey said as if it was obvious.

“Grey I’m not a Vortigaunt, humans don’t have what you have” Kian said, his voice cracking.

“The Malone may not have the necessary means to comprehend the Vortessence, but it still surrounds you. As it does with all beings.” Grey said, the hand they rested on Kian’s knee moved to lightly take his right hand. Kian allowed Grey to lightly trace over his ring as they spoke once more “The connection you have with is object is the strongest, it flows freely through the Vortessence. May I ask the significance?”

Kian looked back down at the hand holding his, the glowing blue was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It somehow reminded him of Jake, his eyes were always so blue.

“I… it’s my wedding ring.” Kian said, feeling the tears finally flow “When humans love each other, we get married. We exchange rings as a sign our love for each other, Jake gave me this. I’ve haven’t took it off since, I miss him so much it hurts” Kian began to sob in that moment, everything he had been holding in burst and he couldn’t stop.

Grey held him close, allowing him to cry into their arms. Grey made soft singing noises as they held him, as if comforting a new-born baby. Kian felt the arm on the Vort’s chest start to caress his cheek, he thought he would be creeped out by it but it was strangely comforting. Once the sobbing began to die down, he apologised to Grey for getting so upset.

“Do not apologise” Grey said, reaching to wipe off a stray tear from Kian’s cheek “You are only Human”.

Kian let out a breathy laugh as Grey still held him close, still holding onto him but less tightly now. They stayed like that for a while, the vort singing softly almost like a lullaby. “I thought I would have moved on by now” Kian says, “I thought that I’d forget about him, but I still dream about seeing him again even though I know I never will.”

“The vortessence does not allow us to forget those that were important to us” Grey replied “Your lives are connected through space and time; I’m sure you will connect with him again when it is so”

Kian leans himself up as they untangle, Grey still holding his hand. “You make it sound so… grand” He said sniffling.

“Do i?” Grey huffs out a laugh “Maybe it is, we are all to play a part in the greater events that unfold. Even you”

“I doubt I’m all that important” Kian said, still trying to take in what the Vortigaunt said.

Grey seemed to smile and then look up at the stars “Our finest poet describes it thus _“Gallum Galla Gilla Ma, Churr Lung gong Chella Gurr..”_ Kian gave him a confused look but before he asked what it meant Grey beat him to it “Those with the least significance will change the course of the future the most”

“Oh” was the only thing that Kian said to that, he wasn’t sure that there was something he could say to something so heavy. Grey moved forward and held him close into a hug which Kian lent into, Grey pressed their closed mouth to his hair before letting go and standing up.

“As much as I enjoy our socialising it is cold and I believe the fire has been reignited” Grey said pulling the cloak around them further, they held out a hand “Would you care to join?”

Kian smiled and shook his head “I think I’ll stay out a little longer, it’s been a while since its been this clear. Jake and I used to watch the stars on nights like this”

Grey made a contented noise and nodded “I understand, I shall see the Malone soon.”

Kian smiled and turned his head back up to the stars; it felt comforting to know after everything, they haven’t changed. He was sure he could see Orion’s Belt this time of year, something he cherished whenever Jake asked him to stargaze.

“The Malone” Grey’s voice said, Kian turned to see he had returned “You are the only one among your people that is connected to him… it would be a great shame to lose such a beautiful Vortessence” and with that Grey walked back into the camp.

Kian smiled as they left, looking back down at the ring on his finger he stroked it softly. He understood what Grey had meant by that, life was precious even the Vortigaunt’s knew that too.

When Kian went to sleep that night Grey’s words revolved around his head for a while, he fell asleep with the thought that Grey thought he was beautiful.


End file.
